“Pig” up the field…

Did you know that Pig and plough (or “plow” if you’re a USAnian) both come from the same root word? I didn’t, at least until recently. But it makes perfect sense when you think about their similar actions and how they both benefit the soil and the land.

Following on from my rant a month or so back against factory farmed pigs, I thought I should remind you all of the best, the kindest, the most humane way to raise them. as a counterpoint to that earlier chapter of horrors. You’re never going to find a happier pig than one who’s up to his (or her) haunches in ‘dirt’, chewing on wild potatoes or dandelion roots; just as these energetic Berkshires above are doing.

Of course, since a happy pig means a tasty pig they should always be kept outside, with abundant access to a well-balanced diet, full of natural proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals: insects, larvae, small lizards, a multitude of medicinal plants and roots, grasses, seeds, nuts, legumes, fruits, even maybe, little fish from shallow pools. And just to make sure they’re meeting all of their nutritional needs, you should also supplement their diet with a mixture of locally-sourced grains, legumes, root crops, nuts, fruits, berries, kitchen scraps, and salt block. And if you have access to it, even get a little raw milk or whey mixed in there. They’ll love you even more.

So that when the day comes around that they have to be killed, they’ve had a fulfilling, fun, interesting, stimulating, healthy life. They’ll look like this en-route to the slaughter house…